A group of comedians appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe next month have launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for taxis to ensure fellow performers can get home safely late at night.

The Home Safe Collective was started in response to the alleged murder of Eurydice Dixon, a Melbourne comic who was attacked last month on her way home from a gig in Australia.

It is asking for donations to pay for transport for “members of vulnerable/at risk groups”. The money will be paid into an account with City Cabs, a black cab firm whose drivers are all subject to a criminal background check.

The campaign is similar to an existing project, the Safe Home campaign, which was started by the STUC and aims to force hospitality chains to demonstrate policies, such as free taxis after late shifts, when applying for a licence.

“The Edinburgh Fringe is coming up and we want to ensure that women, people identifying as non-binary and trans men and members of vulnerable groups are able to get home safely,” the crowdfunder page states.

“The Fringe is an expensive time of year, and spending money on a cab home can be impossible for some.”

Performers who register will be given a password they can use for the duration of the Fringe. Any remaining cash at the end of the festival to be used for the same initiative next year.

“We have heard horror stories of people being followed and intimidated in places such as The Meadows,” Angela Barnes, who helped set-up the crowdfunder, told Chortle.

“We just want people never to feel that they have no choice but to walk home alone late at night.”